


Subtlety

by EliteDelieght



Category: Nabari no Ou
Genre: Basically they're all just huge dorks, M/M, and Gau and Raikou aren't sure if they're actually together, hint: they are
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-05
Updated: 2014-05-05
Packaged: 2018-01-22 00:45:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1569770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EliteDelieght/pseuds/EliteDelieght
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One might be surprised at just how subtle their relationship was.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Subtlety

**Author's Note:**

> copy and pasted from my tumblr [Yamibakuraofficial]

Raikou was not a subtle person. If there was anything to be said for him, this was it.  
He was easy to spot in a crowd, what with his cotton-candy colored hair and, more often than not, a ridiculous outfit of some sort. His voice carried easily, always colored with a gentle note of confidence. It was a pleasant sound, certainly. He was the sort of person who captured the interest of everyone in a room simply by entering.  
Gau was equally as un-subtle as his counterpart. One might not be able to guess from his plain appearance, or slightly unkempt hair [not for lack of effort, of course]. However, he need only open his mouth to assert his presence. His voice was in constant use, its volume and exuberance refusing any attempt to overlook the admittedly small owner.  
So one might be surprised at just how subtle their relationship was.  
It wasn’t that they were attempting to keep it a secret- even as members of the Grey Wolves, they were rather confident in their ability to ignore anyone who might look down upon such a thing. It was simply that their relationship itself had never officially been anything more than platonic. It had just… happened. Neither of the participants had been entirely aware of how it had developed, as it had just felt normal.  
It had started slow, as most things do. They just gravitated towards one another. They would stand closer to each other than others might find comfortable, shoulders always touching when they weren’t in motion. They might smile in a way that hinted at some sort of mutual secret, one that no one else could ever hope to be privy to. Occasionally one might lean over the other’s shoulder to murmur something into his ear.  
To them, it was only natural when those small touches and conspiratory smiles led to kisses shared in private or a hands clasped together when no one was looking. They weren’t really dating, per say. But they certainly wouldn’t dream of indulging themselves as they did with anyone else.  
It was simply an unspoken agreement that they were… together. In a sense.  
Most might not notice the subtle way their hands brushed together when they sat next to each other [always next to each other, never any other members of whatever social circle they happened to be traveling in]. No, most might not even catch the way Gau leaned on Raikou’s shoulder when he went to tuck his feet underneath himself upon sitting down. People could even overlook the way Raikou steadied his clumsier partner when he lost his balance, or how his hands lingered on thin shoulders several moments longer than necessary even after Gau was obviously steady once more.  
All of this was easy for the average onlooker to miss, but Raimei Shimizu was not the average onlooker.  
The blonde in question stuffed a large bite of rice inter her mouth, chewing it absently as she watched her brother. He sat across the table from her, neighbored on either side by Yukimi [who was struggling to eat his meal with only one arm] and, of course, Gau.  
Her eyes narrowed intently as she watched Raikou lean over, pink hair brushing against Gau’s shoulder as he moved to sample the smaller boy’s meal. Gau didn’t react beyond a brief glance downward before turning back to the animate conversation he had engaged Kouichi in.  
They had all gathered together at Mahiru’s house, using one of the warmly lit back rooms to house as many familiar faces as they could. It was a bit crowded, but the air was friendly, and everyone seemed to be having a good time. Even Yoite had shown up, though he opted to sit curled against the wall instead of at the large table with everyone else.  
Raimei watched as her brother nudged Gau with his elbow, though they sat so close together that he barely had to move his arm. This was completely disregarding the fact that they were all crammed pretty tight together, of course. When he was fixed with a questioning look, the pink haired wakatchi merely offered a serene smile and held out his chopsticks. Without seeming to think about the action, Gau but down on the offered food, pulling back to chew thoughtfully.  
The comfortable buzz of conversation that had settled over the table cae to an abrupt halt when Raimei suddenly slammed her hands down. he force of the action snapped her chopsticks in two, but she ignored it.  
"Raimei?" Miharu frowned, looking vaguely concerned [though he might have just been worried for the state of his grandmother’s table].  
Raikou, to his credit, had raised his eyebrows in a mixture of confusion and worry. “Is something the matter?” He lowered his utensils back to a half-empty plate, his focus now on his little sister.  
"You’re driving me crazy!” She snapped, pointing an accusatory finger at her brother. He pursed his lips, looking contemplative.  
After a beat of silence, he shrugged. Somehow he managed to make the simple motion look graceful. “I’m afraid I don’t know what I’ve done.”  
"Don’t give me that innocent look!" Again, she jabbed her finger in his direction. "I need to know before I go absolutely insane! Are you two a thing or not?!" Yukimi snorted as understanding dawned on Raikou’s face. Everyone visibly relaxed, though the point of interest had officially shifted onto the couple in question.  
"Ex-excuse me?" Gau seemed flustered at the sudden attention, his eyes widening slightly. He looked as though he might protest, but was cut off.  
"I was curious about that myself." Tobari admitted, laughing sheepishly.  
Gau and Raikou looked at each other, brows furrowed. The taller of the two shrugged as though in response to some unspoken question.  
"Well it’s certainly _something_.” Shijima murmured from her place near the door. Juji giggled, seeming quite taken with the idea of their romance.  
"Its not… _not_ something, I suppose.” Raikou hedged, seeming slightly confused by his own words. Gau was flushed, nervously tugging at the end of his shirtsleeve.  
"Are you dating or not?" Raimei demanded. Kouichi’s fingers fluttered a bit, as though he was uncertain as to whether or not he should attempt to calm the samurai down.  
Once again, Raikou and Gau looked at each other, faces tinged varying shades of pink. “ _Are_ we dating?” Gau sounded uncertain, if hopeful.  
Brown eyes blinked down at him before a flip seemed to be thrown in Raikou’s head. His face lit up in a brilliant smile. “Well that sounds like a lovely idea!” Without pause, he swooped down to place a quick kiss on Gau’s cheek. It was hardly the first time they’d exchanged such an affection, nor was it the most intimate thing they’d ever done. But still, he managed to blush an even darker shade of red, eyes widening and lips parting ever so slightly. The teenager looked rather like a fish, actually.  
There was a smattering of applause from those gathered, though it was mostly punctuated with laughter. Yukimi raised his glass to his lips, looking bemused. “Nothin’ new then.” He grumbled lightheartedly.  
"Oh?" Raikou turned from the still floundering Gau to raise an eyebrow.  
"Ah don’t you ‘oh’ me, sunshine. Everyone in the Grey Wolves knew you two were goin’ at it." He replied, smirking at him over the edge of his cup.  
Gau made a squawking noise that might have been a ‘dont talk to raikou-san like that!’, before he cleared his throat. Looking ready to drown himself in his own glass of water, he reprimanded the blonde. “Don’t be so crude!” Yukimi waved him off with another laugh.  
Raikou glanced up at his sister after pushing Gau back down into his seat, looking incredibly amused. She smiled cheekily in return, flashing a quick thumbs up as the normal levels of conversation resumed.  
After all, what sort of sister was she if she couldn’t secure a boyfriend for her older brother?  
The fact that they were already together was totally irrelevant, no matter what Miharu had to say.


End file.
